Origins of Asami 20
by Leofan221
Summary: Rewrite of TMNT: Origins: Tale of Asami. Didn't like the first one, so here this is.
1. Changed, But Not Without Love

**THIS IS JUST AN IDEA I HAD. I WASN'T ALL THAT THRILLED WITH THE FIRST ATTEMPT AT THIS, HENCE THIS STORY. I AM REWRITING THIS, BUT WILL NOT TOTALLY DELETE THIS OFF THE WEBSITE, SO YOU CAN BREATH A SIGH OF RELIEF. ENJOY! :)**

**~LEOFAN221**

"Keep up, little one. We are almost to our last stop, and you can look around while I take care of my own shopping."I tell my daughter as she begins to lag behind me. I smile at her, and wait till she caught up, then pick her up into my arms, carrying her for the block or so that remains before we reach the Pet Store. She rubbed her eyes, letting out a small yawn; she had been walking for a longer period of time then she was used to, and it was just about her nap-time. She perked up immediately upon my entering the store. She wriggled out of my arms and ran off to the dog section while I went to look at the aquatics section. I wanted to look at some specific animals; turtles, for myself and my little girl, Asami. She was the first magic spell my wife and I cast on each other, before my other daughter, Miwa, was born. Asami had been lucky. She had been in her room on the other side of the house when Saki came. She had run out of the house, scared mindless by the sight of the flames that consumed my family's house. I found her after I myself had escaped the incinerated remains of the house. I shook my head clear of those memories as I search. There was a sign at the front of the store, leaning against a cage that contained four turtles. The sign was advertising free turtles with a purchase of fifty dollars or more. Suddenly, my daughter's hand is tugging my pants leg.

"Dadi, can you come and look at this puppy? It's only fifty dollars, and it's so cute!" She giggled as I pretended to be lead over to the window that displayed the puppy she had told me about. It was a mix of wolf and Siberian husky. Beautiful, and relatively inexpensive. The food for the dog would only add about twenty dollars to the bill, and it was Asami's fifth birthday. She had been asking politely for a while now, so I told my daughter that, as long as she took care of it without my reminding her, I would get the little thing. She squealed with delight and hugged my leg excitedly.

"Oh, I will Dadi. I will. Thank you so much!"

I went to the back, grabbed a bag of dog food, and returned to the front and told the cashier, Sarah, judging by the name tag she wore, that I wished to purchase the dog. She rung up the food, and the dog.

"Are you interested in our little turtles here, sir? Since you spent at least fifty dollars, they can be yours, free of charge."

I contemplated. They would not require a lot of money, as they came with the cage, and they ate lettuce, which I had plenty of. As long as they came with a cage, I saw no harm in taking the little ones home with me. But I could not just take the cage without asking, so ask I did.

"I would like to, if I may take the cage, as well, miss."

"Oh, that's no problem. The turtles are yours. Good day, Mr."

"Goody day to you, as well." I said as I left the store. We walked along for about two blocks before some man ran into me, nearly causing me to drop the bag of dog food I had in the crook of my elbow, the container I had in my hands. I turned, but the man was walking away, without apparently noticing his bumping into me.

_That man almost felt...metallic. Wait...were his eyes...glowing? Or is that just my imagination? _

I followed the strange man to a random alley. There, another man that looks exactly like the first one was waiting. They were conversing in low tones, exchanging a canister of mysterious glowing ooze. Finding a few trash cans to hide Asami and her dog behind, I added a little shielding with the bag, and told Asami to stay where she was. I crept forward, forgetting the container of turtles in my hand. I wasn't paying attention and stepped on a rat, who scurried across my feet, brushing my leg as it did so. The men whirled on me, and started creeping forward.

"Go no further. This place is a place where you are not allowed to be in this place. We have been seen in this place by you, so this place is not a place that will be left by you."

_Odd manner of speaking. Clearly not human at all. I wonder what makes them speak like that. _

"Hey! Let me go! Help!"

I whirled around, but there were other identical men blocking my view to where I had left my daughter. I closed my eyes, calming my mind. This would require all my concentration and focus. I snapped them open, sensing a movement from one of the men. He tried to kick me, but I acted faster than him. Kicking the man in the stomach, I cleared a way for me to retrieve my daughter. Another man blocked the way, but I quickly punched him away, again striking the stomach, as it seemed to have some effect on them. I saw Asami being held by the throat, and another man was opening the top to a mysterious container. I could tell that he meant to pour the liquid over my daughter's head. I ran over to her, and kicked the man choking Asami out of the way, and caught her as she falls. The canister landed on the ground, splashing over both of us. It felt as if it were acid against my skin. Immediately, I felt myself changing, morphing into something else. Although the change expired in a matter of moments, it seemed much longer. I looked around, but everything was out of focus. I could hear heavy panting, not my own. I felt for the figure I took for my daughter. The feeling of fur greeted my hand when I reached her. I blinked a few times, and my vision slowly cleared. My daughter, too, had changed. She was now more like a wolf, but able to stand on her two legs, and she seemed to have retained her reason. I have yet to find out if she can still speak. She looks at me and I know that she remembers me as her father. I turn at the sound of running, and sirens. Police are on their way. I see the men running down the alley, and into a van parked in the street. Within a minute, the van was gone. Now that the alley was mostly silent, another sound reached my ears; whimpering. The whimpering of an infant. I looked to the source and saw that the four turtles I had just gotten were sitting in the ooze, looking like a regular babies, except they had green skin, three fingers, and shells. I couldn't just leave them; who knows what would happen to them? Grabbing Asami, and setting her on her feet, I reach for the first turtle. This one had sapphire eyes, and emerald green colored skin. He whined at the contact, but I put him on my shoulder. Grabbing turtle two, this one with emerald green eyes, and forest skin, I put him on my other shoulder. The two of them grab each of my ears, and I wince. The other two went on my hips. One had lime green skin, freckles across his face, and baby blue eyes. The other one had olive colored green skin, and a gap tooth in the front. They were so cute, sleepily cuddled against my skin. I saw the manhole cover off, and entered slowly. I wasn't even all the way down the short ladder when I remembered Asami's little dog. I think it had gotten hit with the ooze, but I couldn't be sure. I left the children at the bottom with strict instructions to Asami not to move, or let the others wander off. He saw the little puppy/child curled up in a ball, right where the men had been. It looked startlingly like Asami now did, except with more pronounced pointed teeth, and less human like in her face. I gently picked it up, and carried it down the ladder, stopping momentarily to put the cover back in it's place. The four turtles were cuddled against Asami, asleep. I gently put the wolf in my arms down, and picked up the one with sapphire eyes and emerald skin. He snuggled closer to my chest, seeking warmth. I realized that I could only transport two at a time. I told Asami to either carry or lead her new sister and started walking down the sewer tunnel. This part looked abandoned, and judging by the stale, musty scent in the air, it had been that way for a long time. He followed the tunnels until they ceased at a, also abandoned, subway station. I saw that, with a little work, this could be a home. I started thinking of name's for all of my new children as I settled them in the central pit. I had taken a great interest in the Italian Renaissance, and found some of the names interesting. The one with deep blue eyes crawled into my lap. He snuggled his head against my torn and tattered clothes. I gently lifted his head, and spoke softly, the name just coming to mind.

"Leonardo. You are Leonardo, little one."

he seemed to grow bores with looking at me, do he scrambled out of my lap, and returned to his brothers and new sisters. Soon, the one with emerald eyes came over, and the name almost spoke itself.

"Raphael." It just seemed to fit.

Next was the one with red/brown eyes. Him, I named Donatello, because it, too, seemed to fit. That, and Donatello was one of my favorite artists. Finally, the one with freckles came over, and yawned as he squirmed into my lap.

"Michelangelo."

Now, all that remains is to name my newest daughter, the wolf puppy. Italian names didn't seem to fit, so I thought of different names for wolf. Okami...no. I wanted to name her after the Italian word for wolf, Lupo, but she was a female, so I switched out the o for an a, and she was Lupa. I smiled. My children all have names now. I found five rooms in the back, and another one inside a large room, perfect for training, the smaller room would be my personal quarters, and concluded that this was, indeed, our new home. Suddenly, my pants leg was tugged. I looked down to find Asami rubbing her eyes, but wanting to talk to me.

"Dadi?"

"Yes, Asami?"

"Can we go home now?" It was a honest question, and I answered equally as honestly.

"I am sorry, but we have to live here now. If we do not, people will take me and you and your new siblings away. Do you understand, my child?"

"Hai, Dadi. I miss our home, though."

"As do I. Perhaps we can go get our things, and work together to make this place our home. Alright?"

"Deal, Dadi." she said, and yawned. It had hit her bedtime a few hours ago. I was surprised that she hadn't fallen asleep by now. I carried her out to the main room, to find all the others asleep. This was the best time to go get the things I had mentioned before, but Asami was already tired, and this could take a while.

"Do you wish to get our things from the house now, or wait till morning?"

"Now. I'm not that tired, Dadi. Really." she said, and I sighed. None the less, in five minutes we stood near our apartment. I knelt down, and motioned for Asami to climb up onto my back. I straightened, and started climbing the fire escape. I quickly opened the window, and manged to get in without any injury to myself or Asami. We were in her old room. I put her down, and gave her one of the many duffel bags I found in a closet(in case we needed to move quickly). She started gathering her clothes and toys, while I went to get what few things a needed. If I were to train my children in Ninjitzu, I would need all the weapons I could get. Soon, I had all of the things I required in duffel bags. I wrote a note on a piece of paper, saying that we had had to move suddenly, due to family matters. With that, we left through the same window we had come in by. We were back in our new home within the hour. The turtles and Lupa were still fast asleep. I emptied out the bags in the soon-to-be Dojo. There was a tree, but I had no idea how it got there. I used the bags as makeshift beds for my new children. Asami slept with me on my futon. The next morning, I fed them some lettuce, and dog food(I had grabbed that on the way back). They seemed to enjoy it, and soon they were satisfied. After that, Asami kept them busy while I went to scour the dumpsters around the Lair, as I had decided to call it. I found many mattresses and other useful things. Soon, I had four bedrooms set up, one or each of my sons, and one for the girls to share, until they got older. Soon enough, the small station started to look like a home, like somewhere the odd family could live in as much peace and comfort as Splinter could supply.


	2. New friends, and new places

**ENJOY, GUYS, AS ALWAYS. HEY, IF ANY OF YOU GUYS ARE REALLY GOOD DRAWERS, COULD YOU DRAW ASAMI, OR LUPA, IN ANY SCENE FROM ANY OF MY STORIES, AT ALL? PLEASE? I CAN SEND YOU ANYTHING YOU'LL NEED. PRETTY PLEASE? BTW, LUPA LOOKS A LOT LIKE ASAMI, BUT WITH MORE PROMINENT POINTED TEETH, EMERALD GREEN MASK, AND A GENERALLY MORE ANIMALISTIC APPEARANCE. ANYWAY, AGES ARE ASAMI'S. SORRY, IF THAT CONFUSED YOU LOVELY READERS. LOVE YOU ALL, AND AS ALWAYS...R&R...**

**~LEOFAN221**

~At Age Seven~

_The peacefulness of sleep was broken by the sound of a door, quietly opening. Curious, Asami got out of bed. She ducked behind her door when she saw the man, the one that her dad now hated, stalking toward her parent's room. Asami's heart was pounding so loud, she feared that the man in front of her could hear it. She had to warn her parents, but the man blocked her way. Thinking quickly for a five year old, she ran outside and around the house as fast as her legs would carry her, stopping at the window to the adult's room. Too late, she saw the man, standing at the head of the bed, ready to kill. Asami couldn't remain silent any longer. She screamed, louder and clear. Her father snapped awake, standing quickly to avoid the attack, as well as guard Asami's mother, and baby sister. _

"_I have come for what you stole from me, Yoshi." The man growled, sounding almost feral to the frightened five year old. _

"_I have stolen nothing of yours!" Asami's father replied, standing between the odd man, and Asami's mother. Tang Shen was looking wildly around for her other daughter, inching along in the general direction that she had heard the scream come from. _

"_Asami! Asami, where are you?!" the woman cried, gazing around her in fear and terror as her daughter was still hidden from her sight. Asami climbed over the window, running over to her mother, fear powering the five year old girl's legs. The females remained in that corner as the sounds of terrible fighting rang out all around the room. The two men fought tooth and nail, until Yoshi dodged an attack, causing a candle to be cut in two. It fell to the floor, unheeding of Tang Shen's screams of alarm as the flames spread. _

"_Run! Get away from here, and don't come back!" Tang Shen yelled, and Asami obeyed, running out of the house as more and more of it was consumed. Asami stopped when she reached the orchard, too tired to go further. Then, the sound of screams was heard. Asami clutched her ears, wishing the dreadful sounds to go away. Then, horrid realization hit, and Asami ran back into the flaming house, ignoring the flames for the most part as she searched in vain for her father and mother. Tang Shen was found, lying where Asami had left her, scorched skin blackened by smoke as she was trapped beneath a flaming beam, killed on impact. Tearing up, Asami searched for her father. He was trapped under a smaller beam, eyes widened in terror as he screamed, the flames getting dangerously close. _

"_Tou-san!" Asami screamed, over and over, trying to get the wooden beam off her father. Hamato Yoshi then struggled with her, and the pair finally moved it. Yoshi grabbed his daughter and ran, already aware of his wife's death, but unable to grieve yet. He dove out onto the front lawn just as the roof collapsed. _

Asami sat bolt upright in bed, clawing at anything, but nothing but darkness was hurt by her attack. Then, she started crying, aching for her mother. Hamato Yoshi came over from his corner of the room, and cradled her.

"What is it, my child?" He asked.

"The-the house. It's gone! Kaa-san, too!" Asami whispered through her tears. Yoshi sighed. Every once and a while, nightmares of that night had haunted his daughter's dreams. And there was nothing he could do about it, but comfort her.

"Sadly, yes. But the nightmare has passed, and remember, we have Lupa, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo now." He spoke gently, head resting on top of his daughter's.

"Yeah...they're great." Asami said, the very ghost of a smile playing across her lips.

"Yes, they certainly are." Yoshi chuckled, rocking the pair back and forth without effort. "Now, how would you like to sleep with me tonight, and we'll go looking for food together tomorrow. All of us, alright?" Yoshi suggested. Asami perked up, and agreed. Then, the humanoid rat carried his daughter over to his own futon, and let her curl up and snuggle against his chest. He kissed the top of her head, she pecked his cheek.

"Oyasumi, little one."

"Oyasmui, tou-san."

~At Age Ten~

**SNIP**

Asami maneuvered the scissors, following the chalk lines she had drawn on her brothers' and sister's baby blankets. Her siblings were fast asleep in their rooms, totally clueless as to what she was doing, here in a small secret compartment she had discovered a week earlier.

**SNIP**

Another snip, and she was done. She held up the strip of fabric, and examined her handiwork. She had perfect eye-holes, carefully sliced into the soft emerald green fabric. Satisfied, she put it in the middle of a small sheet of rice paper left over from making doors to her father's private quarters and wrapped it carefully. Setting it aside, she picked up the next sheet, this one a lovely shade of orange.

**SNIP**

She was tired, and her hands hurt, but she had to get these done before her siblings woke up. She knew that there was little chance of the six of them getting many presents, so she might as well give them something to remember their childhood, but also be cool. Her hand trembled as she moved the scissors across the fabric.

_There. Mikey's is done. _

She had had to make the tails a little shorter than normal, because he had the smallest blanket. And he chewed on the edges of it as a way to release bored energy. Next, a chalk lined sheet of a beautiful violet color. This one was a bit longer than the others. Simply because Donnie was the tallest of the turtles.

**SNIP, SNIP, SNIP**

Faster now, the scissors flew. It was nearing the time she would wake her siblings, and try to get them to sit still long enough to eat something before going to their lessons with their dad.

_Two more to go. Just two more._

Asami thought hopefully, massaging her sore hand. With a soft, yet somehow heavy sigh, she picked up the scarlet sheet next. This one had been through a lot, and the edges were tattered. She whimpered as the scissors pressed against her agitated skin once again.

**SNIP, SNIP, SNIP**

She now resorted to sucking the hurting area to try to relieve the skin somewhat. Scowling, she quickly wrapped the mask as skillfully as her speed allowed. Thankfully, there was a little variety in the rice paper, so she would be able to tell the differences between them enough to give each of her siblings the right masks. Splinter had made her blanket a mask some time ago, and told her this, but wanted to present her with it at the same time as his sons, and Lupa. So that they wouldn't be jealous, or feel left out. Now, all that remained was Leo's light-ish blue blanket. It was in good condition, and would make an awesome hero's mask. Like that Captain Ryan guy Leo loves now. He had just discovered the lamely animated and poorly scripted show called _Space Heroes _a few weeks before. Although she personally didn't care for it, Asami enjoyed watching her little brother enjoy it, so she was able to tolerate it.

_He's so cute when he watches that dumb show. I honestly do not see the attraction, but he likes it, so who am I to judge him for his tastes in entertainment? Okay, I officially hate these scissors now. I really do. _

Asami's happy thought turned bitter as she punished her hand further with the too small scissors.

**SNIP, SNIP, SNIP**

A sense of elation filled Asami as she wrapped the last mask in the last of the rice paper. That, and the joy of being able to hid this from even Splinter. He, too, had no idea what she was planning, to her knowledge. Taking a pen, she wrote _**HAPPY MUTATION DAY, DUDES!**_On all of the little packages, and carefully carried them out to the living room closet, where she put them where she knew little eyes wouldn't be able to see them before she wanted them to. Turning, she went to the kitchen, soaking her hand in cold water for a few moments before filling a pot with water, and setting it on the stove to boil. She was gonna do everything for breakfast today, and be sure to make all of her family know how much she loved them. In no time, she had a pot of oatmeal on for her, Lupa, and her dad, and a smaller pot of tea as well as a pan of algae and worms, for the turtles.

_I do not understand how they can eat that stuff, but they seem to enjoy it, so whatever. More for them, I suppose. _

She shrugged, and had to quickly move the teapot off the stove as it was threatening to boil over. She sprinkled in the proper amount of tea leaves into the heavily steaming water. She put the lid back on, and stirred the oatmeal and algae. She took down the seven bowls and plates they they had, and set them around the table as quietly as possible. She set out the spoons, and a pair of chopsticks, as well. She collapsed into her usual chair wearily, and let her eye droop, just a little, for a few moments, before forcing them open. She got up, and stirred the oatmeal again, adding a little salt to the mix.

_Now...to wake the dead. Lu-lu first. Hehehehe._

Asami thought as she crept over to her shared room. She crept up silently to her sister's bed, and pulled out a feather from her mattress. She very gently swept it across her sister's nose. It crinkled, and then all was still. Another swipe, another crinkle. Her sister's eyes slowly crept open, and Asami swiped the feather once more over Lupa's nose. Her eyes suddenly flew open, and Lupa jumped off the bed, scratching furiously at her nose.

"Not funny, sissy!" Asami was almost rolling on the floor with laughter.

"Yes-yes it is. It's hilarious. Absolute hilarity." She spoke through fits of giggles that quickly dissolved into unbridled laughter. Lupa then pushed her sister off the bed. Asami was a pile of limbs and blankets, as she had grabbed the sheets when she fell. The commotion brought the others to the bedroom.

"Hey, loudmouths! Some of us actually need some sleep! Try to keep it down, will ya?!" Raph said, eyes bloodshot from being suddenly awakened.

"What's goin' on, guys? Did I miss something?" Mikey said that, his own sheets looking like a wacky toga/cape mix.

"What happened, Ami?" Leo asked, rubbing his eyes, but looking ready for the day.

"Is anyone hurt?" Donnie asked, looking the readiest of all them.

"N-no guys. It's fine. I just gave Lu-lu a nose itch, that's all. Anyway, time for breakfast. Brush your teeth, then come out to eat." She said, finally standing up, and ushering her sister into the bathroom. The turtle filed away to do their allotted tasks. After securing a agreement to be out in about two minutes, she left to get bowls served for the guys. Within five minutes, they were all sitting at the table, eating their oatmeal calmly. Soon, Splinter emerged from the bathroom, served his own food, and sat down to eat.

"What was all the noise about this morning, children?"

"Oh, I just waved a feather over Lupa's nose, giving her an itch. Sorry if that disturbed you, dad." Asami replied, a smirk on her face. Splinter's face, too, seemed to soften a little at this.

"As long as no one was hurt, I have no issue with your methods of awakening your sister. Now, as today is special, I have no lessons planned for today. However, you will listen to Asami for as long as is necessary when you all go dumpster scavenging later on." This news brought on a wave of excitement from all children at the table. It was a rare and treasured occasion when all six mutant children went scavenging together. As soon as the bowls were emptied, the younger five mutants scurried off, but came back within a minute, each holding something behind their shells, or backs for Lupa. Asami smiled brightly.

"What's all this?"

"PRESENTS!" The other five mutants giggled helplessly, each crowding around their sister.

"Alright, guys. Form a line. Oldest to youngest. No cutting, either, Mikey!" Asami ordered. They all did as instructed, and Leo gave her a small bag. Where he got it, Asami's guess was as good as yours. She reached in, and pulled out...her mask that Splinter had made. She glanced at Splinter, who nodded, confirming her suspicions that either Leo had asked to be the one to give it to Asami, or Splinter had told him to. Either way, she hugged her brother, and quickly planted a kiss on his forehead. Leo blushed a deep red as he stepped out of the line. She smiled.

_He is so cute when he blushes like that...adorable. Whoa...pull it together, Asami_

"Thank you, Leo. I love it!"

Raph come over. He handed her a hand drawn card. It was a picture of all of them, holding hands, smiling as they walked down what Asami assumed was supposed to be a tunnel. He had written a short poem underneath.

_Roses are red, _

_violets are blue, _

_you're ten years old,_

_and I love you._

_Happy Mutation Day, sis._

Asami hugged her brother. She knew that this had taken a long time for him to make, and even longer to write the little poem.

"I...I don't know what to say, Raphael...Thank you!" She said, planting a kiss on his forehead as he stepped aside. He blushed, stammered, and hurriedly rubbed it off. Donnie handed her a small iPod, complete with headphones.

"Oh, my gosh! Where did you get this, Donnie?! I love it!"

"I found it when we were dump diving a while ago. It took a long time to find the right headphones for you, though." He said, sounding embarrassed, but looking extremely happy. She hugged and kissed him, too, as he stood alongside his brothers. Mikey came up, and, with a flourish, gave her a picture that he had drawn himself. It showed her and Mikey, in superhero costumes, fighting off some bad guy of Mikey's wild imagination. She was in a white suite and a cape, while Mikey looked more like Batman, but without the ears. The suit was dark red/orange, and he had a shield on one arm. There were lasers coming from their eyes, and hitting the bad guy, who had a really funny expression on his face. They both had hands on hips. Under the picture, he had written _The crime fighting duo of the century; _

_Turtle Titan, and Wolfzilla! _

_Love ya sis. Happy M-day!_

She hugged her littlest brother tightly, and whispered in his ear.

"I'd love to be Wolfzilla, if you'll be there, Turtle Titan."

"Alright!" Mikey shouted, right in his sister's ear.

"Easy there, tiger! I think there's someone else who wants to give me something. Scoot along now!" She said, gently scooting him in the right direction. Lupa huffed, but soon was smiling as she held out a framed picture.

_It was all of them at their third Mutation day. The little ones all had algae cake covering their faces, and Asami was laughing as she tried to get Lupa to stay still long enough to clean off her face. Splinter was cleaning Leo's face with a rag. Leo had resisted a little, but eventually saw the futility of the effort, and remained still. Raph and Mikey were painting each other's faces with the blue/green algae. Donnie, after painting himself, decided to paint his tray._

The frame itself was light blue, with small wooden hearts on all corners. It was amazing, and the perfect gift.

"I couldn't make a card in time, but I hope that this is just as good, sissy. Happy Mutation Day!" She said, as she hugged her sister, nearly tackling Asami off the chair she sat on. Lupa almost choked Asami with how tight her grip was around her neck.

"I love it, Lu-lu! It will on my bedside table, so that it will be the first thing I see when I wake up, okay?"

"Okay, sissy." She started to run off, but Asami reached forward, and scooped her up, tickling her sister mercilessly as she walked out to the pit. Her brothers were all discussing how they had gotten their gifts ready, and speculating as to what they would receive. Asami put Lupa next to Mikey, and straightened up, putting on her 'commander Asami' expression, hands on hips, and back ramrod straight.

"Alright. Your orders are to form one line on the rim of the pit, and stay like that till I come back. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" The five little 'cadets' replied, giggling as they formed that line. Asami ran quickly and got the packages she had hidden earlier that morning. She resumed her 'commander' posture, and spoke in the same voice when she got back.

"Now, close your eyes until I say otherwise." They obeyed, still giggling. She quietly placed each package in her siblings' waiting laps.

"Open your eyes, and look in your laps, cadets!" She barked, and she was greeted by shouts of "Awesome!", "Whoa!", "This is so cool!", "How did she find these? They look just like our old baby blankets!", and "How do we put these on?" Asami laughed, but pulled herself together and 'ordered' that they sit perfectly still, and give her their masks, so she could put them on. She went down the line, tying all their masks on, and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief when she found they fit her siblings as she had hoped. They all ran into the bathroom, to look at their masks on their faces. She could hear the elation, as well as smell it, from here. That smell reminded her of all things lovely in the world, of her brothers' laughter; Lupa's, too, obviously. That was something only Asami could do. She had a rare gift; being able to smell pheromones. It made her something of an empath. And somewhat of a stranger in her own house. Lupa didn't seem to be able to smell all that her sister did, and it made her feel...even more a freak than her mutant sister. She loved being able to connect to her family this way, and the fact that she would be able to more effectively comfort and talk to her siblings, but it also made her feel like an intruder. She had discussed her ability with her father, and he had assured her that it made her no more a freak than she was already, but still...

~At Age 13~

Asami lay in bed, coughing out a lung, and sneezing up a storm. Donnie had warned her about wandering the tunnels and dumpster diving in winter weather for too long, but Asami had forgotten bout that and had gone and gotten the flu. A nasty one, too. She had been on bed-arrest for two whole days now, and was hating every second of it. A soft knock at the door snapped her out of her angry thoughts.

"Yeah? Come in!" She called, not waiting to receive an answer to her question. Leo poked his head in, and then the rest of him followed. He was carrying a tray, with a bowl of soup, a cracker or two, and a glass of water.

"How ya feelin', sis?" He asked, trying not to sound too depressed at the amount of snotty rags around his sister's body, and on the floor. She was reading a magazine that she had asked for, but now found boring. He set the tray on Asami's lap, reaching for the medicine bottle that lay on the bedside table.

"Good. A bit better than this morning, actually." She replied, trying not to let her voice rasp too much because of the sore throat she had. Leo smiled.

"Good! We really don't need any more puke in the pit." He said, meaning it to be funny, but instead, Asami looked down at her hands guiltily.

"'Sorry, bro. I didn' mean tah-ah-ACHOO!" She sneezed, grabbing a tissue and blowing her nose, tossing it onto the floor, and leaning back with a sigh.

"It's okay, sis. I know you didn't. I meant it to be a joke." Leo explained. He inched the tray forward, and Asami took it, and the pills in Leo's hand, held out for her. Taking the spoon, she ate a little of the soup. Then, she took the glass of water, and swallowed the medicine that helped her body fight the virus.

"Let me know if you need anything else." Leo called, walking out of the room. Asami left her room, as well, curious as to what was going on outside. She was wrapped in a blanket from behind.

"Ami, you really should be resting." came the voice of Donatello, the young medically gifted turtle.

"Donnie, I have been resting. For two whole freaking days!" Ami said, before continuing out to the pit. She snuggled further into the blanket as she sat down in the couch cushions. Leonardo was watching Space heroes again, but Asami didn't care. Then, the tray was above her head, being lowered slowly.

"Boop, boop, boop! Look out, coming through! Food withdrawal patient in need of medication!" Mikey yelled, and Asami straightened her legs. The tray was delivered, and Asami ate while Leo stayed absorbed in the show. When she was done, the tray was lifted, and taken to the sink by Donnie, and cleaned.

"Hey, Leo?" Leo turned from the TV instantly.

"Yeah, Ami?"

"Can we snuggle? I'm still feeling cold." She asked, opening the blanket. Leo scooted over, and the blanket closed around the pair. After about two episodes, Asami couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. She slipped into a deep, and restful sleep.

When Donnie came back in with more medication, he found Leo and Asami cuddling and Asami asleep, her head flopped down against Leo's, and held back any sharp orders that were about to be given regarding Asami's treatment. He smiled at the sight of the two, and left to get dinner ready with Mikey, still smiling and softly chuckling to himself.

~At age 15~

Asami sighed. She should have been excited. She should have been begging her father to let her go now, but she couldn't. She felt terrible. This was the one thing that she was being forced to do without her siblings. At all. They couldn't do it with her. She pulled her mask tighter before tying it off quickly. She adjusted her belts, and clipped her tomahawks and ninjaken to it. Those were the weapons she had chosen. She had been offered the family heirloom tessen, but simply couldn't accept it. She had had her eyes set on the ninjaken, and when Splinter had her pick out a second weapon, she decided the tomahawks. They just suited her better than anything else. Lupa, being another of Splinter's daughter's, was also offered the metal fan, but she, too, denied it. She chose the double scythe, much to her father's dislike. As a secondary weapon, she chose the nunchuck. She blushed at Mikey when she grabbed it.

_Gonna need to watch those two as we grow older. _

She had thought at the time, five years ago, and it seemed crazy now. Lupa and Mikey were siblings, and best friends, nothing more. Anyway, she crept out to the pit, sitting down on the edge as a new episode of _Space Heroes _came on. She wasn't really watching it, she was more gloomily passing the time until she could go topside for the first time in her life. She had been discretely begging for this chance for the past few years, never imagining doing it without her siblings. In her mind, they were all going together, all of them, like it always is. As soon as she had figured out that everyone younger than her wasn't leaving the Lair, she freaked out. Inside, of course. Not in front of Splinter.

_She was still in Splinter's room. She simply looked down at the floor, unable to process exactly what was happening._

"_My child, do you understand?" Splinter asked, his hand on Asami's slightly shaking shoulder. _

"_N-not really, father. Why can't at least Leo come along with me? You said yourself how far he's come on his training. Please, dad." Asami asked, tears brimming in her eyes. She simply couldn't understand why her brothers and Lupa couldn't go with her. Splinter gently gripped her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye._

"_Asami, you know that they still have much to learn. Too much for me to feel comfortable letting them go with you."_

"_But dad, so do I. I know I do. Please..." She trailed off when she saw the resolute look in her dad's eyes. There wasn't any sign of Splinter letting the boys or Lupa out of his sight. She sighed as Splinter released her chin._

"_They will go up, just not this year. Maybe not for a few more years. It's for the best Asami..."_

Asami absently checked the time, and found it was **that **time. Asami hated time sometimes. It flowed fast when you want slow, and slow when you want fast. Like when you really want time to speed up so you can do whatever, it goes so slow, an hour feels like an eternity. Then, like when you want time to slow down, so you can postpone a lecture, it simply speeds up. Time was nuts.

Anyway, she headed to the door. Suddenly, a strong hand was gripping her shoulder.

"My child, be safe. Stick to the shadows, and remain unseen. The topside world will be strange and otherwordly to you. Do not allow yourself to do things you would not ordinarily do."

"Hai, Sensei." Asami said, and started for the door again, but the grip was still there.

"Do not go anywhere near a human, no matter the circumstance."

"Hai, Sensei." Asami repeated. This was getting old, and Asami just wanted to get out and back ASAP.

"Be on full alert the entire time, and do not be caught by surprise."

"Dad! I'll be fine! Don't worry." She said, and the grip loosened. She stood a little on tiptoes, and pecked her father on the cheek.

"Make sure you Go before you leave, and look both ways before crossing the street!" Splinter called, but Asami was already on her way to explore the vast unknown of NYC, heedless of Splinter's words. She was at the ladder before she knew it. She looked up into the tunnel that would let her out into...a whole other world, it would seem. And she had to climb it alone. No brothers or Lupa to be there with her this time. She was alone for the first time in her life. Soon, she was braced against the wall of the tunnel, pushing against the cover. It made a weird metal-on-metal grating sound.

"Hey, you up there?"

Asami froze. She was supposed to be alone here. What was Leo doing here?

"Yeah?"

"Um, I just wanted to...wish you luck."

"Thanks, Leo."

"Wish I was coming."

"I know. I tried to convince Splinter to let at least you go with me, but he wouldn't budge."

"Yeah. He can be really stubborn sometimes. Anyway, good luck up there, okay? I don't want to lose you."

"Oh, Leo, you won't. I promise." Asami said, jumping down, and hugging her brother. He was shaking slightly. Without looking at him, she knew he was crying. She gently drew his chin up, and kissed his forehead.

"I'll be fine, Leo. I am a Kunoichi-in-training, remember?"

"Yeah, it's just...when will you be back, sissy?"

"Later. I'm not sure when, alright? Just promise me one thing."

"What?" Leo asked, looking up at her with the widest eyes she had ever seen.

"That you will get everyone to bed on time. I really don't want all ya up when I get back, okay?"

"...I'll see what I can do, Asami."

_Your gonna do great things, kid. Really big things for us. Huh. Leonardo, leader at age 10. Who'd a thunk it?_

Asami thinks with a smile as she enters the dead end street above the manhole cover. She gazes around her in awe and wonder, staying in the shadows, of course. Asami snaps a picture of the wall, which has some cool paintings on it. She then goes up to the rooftops, and runs and runs. Before she starts, Asami turns on a GPS feature Don added to her T-phone recently. He'll add it to all of their phones when they get to come up here, she's sure though. Asami stops her run, having nowhere near enough to jump to handy. She looked around, and found a young human boy, riding a strange vehicle, carrying some weird boxes. Intrigued, she brought out a grappling hook attached to a rope. Grappling the opposite street's rooftops, she swung out, and snatched a box before the boy realized what was happening. She reached the other rooftop without incident, and cautiously opened the box. Inside was some kind of yellow goo on a weird dough disk, topped with red circles, and brown balls. She reached out, and grabbed a triangle of the strange food. As soon as it was in her mouth, she discovered a whole other world of flavors. This was new to her because her diet was mainly restricted to whatever she could find in a dumpster, as opposed to eating algae and worms all the time, as the turtles did. Taking a 'sample' of the strange food, and placing it in a container, she slipped it into a pouch on her belt. She had already taken a picture of the undisturbed food. She closed the box, and read the word's "Antonio's Pizzeria." On the cover. She was confused.

"Pizzeria? I mean, Splinter said it would be strange here, but man...humans have weird names for stuff." Thinking quickly, she looked up the word on the dictionary she had installed on her phone to provide clarity to whatever new words she heard up here. She found that a Pizzeria was actually a store that sold the food she had eaten. Pizza, to give it it's proper name. Now that she knew, she felt like an idiot. She continued her run after checking the time, and found that she should only run a little more before she would have to return. She knew that Leonardo wouldn't be able to sleep without everyone there, like a parent. It was adorable to her, but it had it's annoyances.

_He can be so overprotective sometimes, but I know he means well, so I just kinda...let it go, I guess. He's so cute when he's like that. All heroic, like Captain Ryan, who he is modeling himself after anyway. He'll be a great leader one day. I will be happy to follow him anywhere, anytime. _

Asami smiled as she turned around when she again ran out of near enough roofs. Just as she did, she heard the alarm go off in the store across the street. She froze. What was she to do?!

_Surely, the authorities could handle it, but they wouldn't get here in time...oh, man! What do I do?! I can't walk in there, and take care of the perpetrators, but I can't just walk away! _

Thinking quickly, she jumped down the fire escape, and drew herself into the shadows. There was only one figure inside, and he appeared to be in some kind of costume. Entering the store through the shadows, she drew her flashlight, and turned it on.

"Curse those weird guys! All I wanted was to go about living normally, but NO! They just HAD to kidnap me, and freeze me for fifty years, and then change me! Curse life!"

At the same time that she turned the light on, she spoke.

"Don't curse your life. There's too much to be grateful for to curse it. That's what my father always told me."

The figure flinched, drawing an arm up to protect it's face from the sudden light. Asami screamed, dropping the flashlight in her fright, just now getting a close look at the figure that had stumbled into this store.

~Back at the Lair~

Leo shifted on the couch, undecided as to what to do. Should he go to bed, like his brothers and Lupa, or should he wait for Asami to come back? He had already sent his siblings off to bed a few hours ago, keeping his promise. He held back worried tears as he rocked back and forth on the edge of the pit. He simply couldn't understand what to do. This was the first time that he was alone, without Asami, in his life. He wiped his eyes, and took deep breaths to steady himself. He needed to be strong; for his brothers, and for his sisters.

"Leo?"

Leo turned his head, and saw Mikey's little shaking form. He was rubbing his eyes sleepily, standing at the end of the hallway. Leo stood up, and help up his arms to welcome his baby brother into his arms. Mikey ran into his arms, sobbing quietly.

"What's wrong, Mikey?"

"I-it was awful!" Mikey yell-whispered, burying his face in Leo's plastron.

"What happened, Mikey?" Leo asked, knowing that Mikey had had a nightmare.

"I was running, and running through a tunnel. I heard creepy laughter. Then this creepy guy just appeared out of nowhere, and he...was holding Asami and Lupa's body in one hand, and you, Donnie, and Raphie's bodies in his other hand!" Mikey finished, now clutching Leo's arm like he would never let go.

"I couldn't do anything about it! It was so freaky!" Mikey said, not bothering to whisper any more. The pair stayed like that for a long time, just rocking back and forth smoothly on the edge of the pit.

Back in the store~

Asami stumbled backwards, unable to comprehend what she had seen in that brief moment before she dropped the flashlight.

_Unless Splinter looked way different as a human than normal humans do, this...is another mutant!_

Asami thought as the little boy started stumbling around. She heard crashing around, and reached out when she heard him come near. She caught hold of his scaly wing, and it took all of her willpower not to let go, and wipe her hand on her shirt.

"Whoa, there, kid. You'll hurt yourself." She hissed, using her other hand to search the ground for her flashlight. She quickly found it, and flicked it on. Shining it just below the boy's eyes, so as not to hurt him, she got a good look at him. He had a draconian head, and wings for arms and hands, which is what caused the noise that tripped the alarm. He blinked at the light, and tried to free himself.

"I'm sorry, miss, if a miss you truly be! Please don't hurt me! I didn't mean none of this! I just stumbled in here, and accidentally broke something, tripping the alarm!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm not gonna hurt you! I'm sorry if I scared you, but you need to calm down, and..." She trailed off as she heard a noise that she had heard Splinter call sirens approaching fast. She turned back to the dragon boy.

"Listen, you need to come with me, now! I get the feeling whatever is coming isn't gonna be friendly." She said, dragging him behind her. She went out the back door, and found a manhole cover in the middle of the alley in front of her. She led the odd boy over to it, quickly drew it off, and brought the kid over to it, indicating that he should go down. He instantly drew back.

"No, please! I don't want to go down there, miss! It's nasty!"

"Oh, come on! It's where I live, and I don't know where else to hide you, so come on!" I said, getting frustrated already with this kid. He crossed his arms, like a little child.

"I am not going down there, and you can't make me!" He said defiantly. I smirked, raising an eyebrow as I reached over and grabbed his wrist. I dragged him up and over my shoulder, and held him there as I jumped down the manhole.

"WHHOOAA! Please, miss! Put me down! I think I'm gonna hurl, but I can't tell if it's because of the smell down here, or the position I'm in!" He yelled, and I huffed as I dropped him on his rear on the ground of the tunnel.

"Now you know better than to fool around with me, huh?" I tease, and he scowls at me.

"Yes, miss." He asks, dropping the scowl, thankfully. It was a little intimidating.

"Okay, let's get one thing straight here. My name isn't miss. That's what you call a young woman, like, fifty years ago. Anyway, my name is Asami, but you can just call me Ami. My siblings do, anyway. What's yours?" I ask, helping him up.

"Dao. And last I remember, it was 1964."

"So, it was fifty years ago that you were taken." I mused, as I turned and walked down the tunnel. He followed, half flying, half walking right beside me.

"So, where are we going?" he asked.

"To my house. I'll ask my dad if you can stay with us. We'll figure it out from there." I said.

"Really? And what makes you so sure he's gonna let me in? I mean, he could just not."

"Oh, he won't. He doesn't do that kinda thing. He's a great man, and so are my brothers. And my sister." I tell him. He frowns.

"How many siblings do you have, Asami?" he asks, looking at me incredulously.

"Five. A sister, and four brothers."

"Cool! Um, are they like you, or just, ah, not very easily imitated?" Dao asks, and I can't contain chuckles at the question.

"No, they're just as special as I am. My sister, Lupa, could be my twin, if she wasn't five years younger than me. And my brothers, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo, are turtles." I explain, sloshing through the sewer waters. In no time, we were at the turnstiles, and I saw lit candles on the table, illuminating the room enough to allow easy navigation. Dao came in not two seconds after me, and I took a quick glance around for any surprise attacks, but didn't see one imminent.

"Here we are, Dao. You can just-Uh!" I was cut off before I could finish by a tackle from behind. Mikey, obviously. I smiled as I threw him off. He hit the ground on his shell, but didn't look that hurt.

"Asami!" Dao hissed, and there was a WHOOSH, followed by SHINKT, the sound of water freezing! I turn, to find Mikey, half standing, arms up to protect himself, frozen!


End file.
